Voter ID law addresses nonexistent problem

A recent letter to the editor took issue with the League of Women Voters' stance in challenging the Wisconsin voter ID law. The league did so based on our belief that voting is a fundamental citizen right, which must be guaranteed. Founded by women suffragists in 1920, the league never supports or opposes any candidate or political party. We have worked for fair and accessible elections for 93 years.

When the Wisconsin ID law was enacted, it was the most restrictive in the nation. A citizen could be properly registered yet still unable to vote if they did not have one of a short list of acceptable government-issued photo IDs.

Voter ID proponents note that an ID is needed for many activities in today's world. However, those activities are privileges; they are not fundamental citizen rights that are protected by our constitution.

In defending the voter ID law in court, the state has not claimed that voter impersonation is a problem. Local, state and federal investigations have not found a single case of voter impersonation in Wisconsin. Yet the voter ID law would prevent qualified citizens from voting - that is a net loss for democracy.

Julie Arneth

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Voter ID law addresses nonexistent problem

A recent letter to the editor took issue with the League of Women Voters' stance in challenging the Wisconsin voter ID law. The league did so based on our belief that voting is a fundamental citizen

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